ELECTION LETTERS
The Denton Record-Chronicle welcomes letters to the editor pertaining to the Nov. 4 general election. All regular submission rules apply. Letters concerning statewide races and local propositions on the Nov. 4 ballot must be received in this office by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24. None will be published after Friday, Oct. 31.
Too many questions
First, my thanks to the DRC for your fine editorial concerning the proposed convention center.
But I would like to know where Tim O’Reilly received his sales training. It is reminiscent of some car salesmen I recall with the “I’ll have to speak to my manager” ploy. What is his past history?
The bottom line for me is that the city is looking at absolutely the wrong location. If a conventioneer wanted to leave the hotel and do a little shopping, where and how would he or she go? What happens when weekend sports conflict? High school commencements? UNT activities?
A recent letter suggested the area off Brinker Road, close to the A-train MedPark station, a much better site that is part of the city, not part of UNT’s sports complex.
And why should the county and school district contribute to this?
There are too many questions that haven’t been answered yet.
Nancy Kurrus,
Denton
Ideal solution
In response to the county Republican chairwoman’s testy response to Frack Free Denton [DRC, Oct. 14], I do believe that I have an ideal and highly cogent solution to the poor showing that her side has mustered thus far:
Ms. Edmondson should write and publish an invitation to the energy firms currently fracking wells within our city limits, inviting them to drill and frack within close proximity to her private residence, a second well equally close to the school(s) attended by her children and yet a third across from Republican headquarters.
I believe that such a letter, published, would do far more to garner support for her agendas rather than churlish letters attacking residents who have extremely legitimate concerns over a well-established track record established by the gas and oil industries.
When I see at least one well in her neighborhood, close to her home if not on her property, I will be happy to rethink my position on this issue.
Jesse E. Eschbach,
Denton
A couple of questions
Thank you, Devon Energy, EnerVest, EOG Resources and XTO.
I want to thank these great companies for helping fight the fight financially. With their help maybe we can reverse the hysteria and hype for the ban on hydraulic fracturing. The frac ban proponents make these corporations out to be big, bad, evil companies. But what are they really?
Could it be people? Could it be taxpayers? Could it be employees? Could it be contractors? Could it be suppliers? Could it be people who breathe all the same Denton air? Could it be people who drink the same Denton water? Could it be people who send their kids to the same Denton schools and parks?
This raises a couple of questions:
1 If fracking or drilling is responsible for all of the health problems it’s being accused of, then why haven’t these “victims” filed and won civil cases? Is it because none of this can be proven?
2. If fracking and drilling is responsible for all the health problems it’s being accused of, then why aren’t the people who work on the drilling rigs sick? They stand directly over drill sites for days at a time.
William R. Allen,
Denton
Water calculations
As a Denton resident who consumes energy, water, air and is as concerned about the future of my children and grandchildren as anyone else, I oppose banning hydraulic fracturing in the city of Denton. I do support reasonable regulation (setbacks, noise abatements, etc), with reasonable not being a backdoor ban.
There are so many assertions flying around regarding hydraulic fracturing, it is hard to select one to address in a brief letter. But, let’s start at water usage.
Drilling opponents (to ban hydraulic fracturing is to ban drilling, which is another subject for another day) quote a water usage of 5 million gallons to hydraulically fracture a well, which sounds like a tremendous amount of water.
According to the city of Denton Water Conservation Plan, April 2014, the city projects 2014 per capita water usage at 158 gallons per day, with a population of 118,468 people.
If you multiply those two numbers times 365 days, you get an estimated water usage in the city of Denton of 6.83 billion gallons of water for 2014.
So, the average hydraulic fracturing operation uses 7/100s of 1 percent (0.0007) of Denton’s annual water usage.
Pat Sloan,
Denton
Vote no on ban
One argument I’ve heard from the anti-fracking activists is that it is all about “quality of life.” They want to wean us off fossil fuels, yet they fail to visualize what Denton would look like, plastered with wind turbines and solar farms.
Tesla electric cars may be appealing to a few liberal elitists, but it’s still too expensive for most of us.
The lithium batteries have a power density of about one twentieth of gasoline and a short driving range before needing a recharge. The cost of a Tesla lithium battery is about $30,000.
Not one activist thought it worthwhile to want to reduce emissions from buses or trucks by migrating to compressed natural gas vehicles. Natural gas is a far cleaner fuel. The byproduct of natural gas combustion is CO2 and water. Air pollution from Interstate 35E and I-35W will get worse as growth continues.
With all the pollution from autos and trucks, the activists try to link childhood asthma with the several-day fracking procedure. Any air pollution would be from the diesel engine compressors used to compress the fluids. This amount is quite small compared to the overall truck traffic exhaust on I-35.
Vote no on the ban and save the taxpayers legal expenses that can be better applied to important projects.
Phillip Sweet,
Denton
Assumption of concern
Until I read Dianne Edmondson’s letter [DRC, Oct. 14], I was unaware that the proposed ban had become a political issue; I assumed that both Democrats and Republicans were concerned for the health of their children, grandchildren and the earth needed to sustain them.
Wanda Smith
Denton
